"If there is any evidence of fraudulent behavior, it is not fair to the hard-working municipal employees who are conscientious and diligent in their daily work," Sarno said.

Stephen P. Lisauskas, executive director of the Springfield Finance Control Board, said the hotline helps to engage the public "to ensure their government is fair and without waste, fraud, corruption or abuse."

Ianello said tips might involve someone seeing a city worker who is working at a private job during his normal working hours. Or, it might be someone seeing a city car in another town during work hours, that may or may not be authorized.

The hotline, however, is not a complaint line, Ianello said.

"We hope people won't call about a trash container overflowing or a cat stuck in a tree," Ianello said.

"We expect the fraud hotline to contribute to our assessment of the city's internal controls, policies and procedures and compliance with laws and regulations," Ianello said. "We welcome both the public and employee input and look forward to increasing public awareness of city practices."